Being health conscious seems to be part of everyone’s lifestyle today. Here are a few helpful tips taken from the Good Cooking Central website that you can use as a guide for more tasteful and healthful eating:

• ALTERNATIVES TO COOKING WITH BUTTER:

When browning or sautéing onions, hamburger, etc., replace the butter by spraying your skillet with non-stick spray or use chicken or beef broth instead.

When baking, use reduced-calorie margarine instead of butter (but note that the texture may not always come out the same). Non-fat margarines currently on the market do not tend bake well.

Cutting butter in some of your recipes can cut a lot of the calories making it a diet-friendly option.

• CUTTING FAT WITH APPLESAUCE:

To reduce the fat content in your baking recipes, substitute applesauce for half of the amount of vegetable oil called for in the recipe. Using all applesauce produces a low-calorie, moist product.

• TO CUT CALORIES:

To cut calories when making stir-frys and stews that contain both vegetables and meat reduce the amount of meat by 1/3 and increase the amount of vegetables by 1/3.

• USE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

Eating healthy doesn’t have to taste bland or bad. Using the right equipment can make a world of difference in the healthy dishes you prepare. For example, using a simple grill pan provides you with a lot of flexibility in your meals. You can grill everything from fruits and vegetables to meats, while the fat just drips away.

• CUTTING FAT FROM A BROWNIE RECIPE

To cut fat from a brownie recipe, you may cut the butter back from 8 TBSP. to 3 TBSP. and add 5 TBSP. of fat-free sour cream to the batter to make up the difference.

• CUTTING OIL FROM A CAKE MIX RECIPE

When making up a cake from a cake mix, do not add the ½ cup of oil the recipe calls for. Instead add ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce to the batter for a moist healthier cake.

• USE EGG BEATERS

Substitute Egg Beaters for half of the eggs in mostly egg dishes (use 1/4 cup of Egg Beaters substitute per egg).

• IT’S O.K. TO USE LESS

Use less oil or butter for frying than the recipe calls for. Using about a tsp. of olive or canola oil can usually suffice. Using olive or canola oil instead of fat, butter or shortening for most recipes is a healthier choice.

• USE RUBS OR MARINADES – GRILL FOODS TO ADD FLAVOUR.

1. Rubs are dry spice blends and usually include both salt and sugar. They are rubbed directly on and into the meat before cooking. They add a mild flavour, but if you add the rub a day or so in advance the flavour of the spices will penetrate more into the meat.

2. Marinades are liquid and can be made from a variety of ingredients, but most importantly include something acidic (like lemon or lime juice, vinegar, yoghurt or fruit like papayas, pineapple or kiwis). This adds enzymes to the meat which tenderize it. Use caution in the amount of time you marinade meat to avoid the meat becoming “mushy”. A general rule is, for seafood as little as 15 minutes, 4-6 hours for thin cuts of meat and up to 12 hours for larger cuts.

3. Use a re-sealable plastic bag to marinate meats. Add the marinade and meat into the bag, seal, and shake or mush together to combine. Then let sit in the fridge for the required amount of time.

4. Never re-use marinades. If you wish to make a sauce or gravy from the marinade the meat has been in, boil the marinade for at least two minutes.

5. Brush the extra marinade onto the meat before grilling for extra flavour. Use it like a barbeque sauce, but be sure to let it cook through

If you would like to read more tips and hints, and get great recipes too, visit the Good Cooking Central website.